Multiple-position door



Aug; 17, v1965 l E, PATCH 3,200,733

MULTIPLE-POS ITION DOOR Filed Aug. 10, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ZZJINVENTOR, Ja/dfi '/JC Aug. 17, 1965 E. PATCH MULTIPLE-POSITION DooR 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 1o, 1962 INVENTOR .Zia/471% zc Z United StatesPatent O 3,266,733 MULTIPLE-PUSIHON Dfi-UR Edward Patch, DearbornHeights, Mich., assigner to Evans Products Company, Plymouth, Mich., acorporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 1d, 1962, Ser. No. 216,134 Claims.(Cl. 98-9) The present invention relates to means for controlling theflow of air or the like and more particularly to an improved door andimproved means for mounting it in a wall opening in a plurality ofpositions for controlling in various ways, the flow of air or the likethrough said opening.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved lowcontrolling means of the ahove mentioned type which is simple in design,of durable construction, reliable and efficient in operation, which iseasily adjusted between a plurality of flow controlling positions andwhich is economical to manufacture.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved ilowcontrol means of the above mentioned type including a door which can bemounted to close an associated wall opening, in spaced parallel relationto said opening, or in a plurality of inclined positions relative tosaid opening.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a ilow control meansincluding novel handle portions which also serve to overlie the walladjacent the opening, in the inclined positions of the door relative tothe opening.

Other and more detailed objects of the present invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of thefollowing specilication, the appended claims and the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view of an air flow type space heater foran automotive vehicle with parts broken away, and showing an embodimentof the means of the present invention for controlling the `flow of airor the like;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged front elevational view of a portion of thestructure illustrated in FIGURE l taken in the direction ofthe arrow A;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view similar to FIG- URE 2 showing thedoor removed;

FIGURE 4 is a broken enlarged elevational View taken from the interiorof the heater shown in FIGURE l and substantially along the line ig- 4thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIGURE 4taken substantially along the line 5-5 thereof; and

FIGURES 6, 7 and S are sectional views similar to FlGURE 5 showingalternate positions of the door.

Referring to the drawings, an automotive truck type heater is indicatedby the numeral l@ and includes means (not shown) for supplying heatedair to the upper casing portion l2 which includes a front wall lltprovided with an inwardly offset wall portion le having a generallyrectangular opening lll therein the upper and lower edges of which areprovided with opposed notches 2li.

Mounted in the opening ld is a generally rectangular door 22 which inthe preferred embodiment illustrated is formed of generally hat sheetmetal with its upper and lower edge portions reversely turned and formedto provide flange portions 245 which serve as handle portions tofacilitate movement of the door between the positions hereinafterdescribed. For supporting the door 22 on the wall portion ld, the doorcarries a generally U-shaped supporting element Z6 the web portion 2S ofwhich is secured to the door 22 by an attaching clip 3h which is spotwelded to the web portion 28 and to the door 22.

The U-shaped support element 21o has a pair of spaced legs 32 each ofwhich has the outer end portion formed to provide a notch 34. The legs32 are of a. width adapted to be received in the notches Ztl at oppositesides of the opening l and the notches 3d are adapted to receive theWall portion ld. The legs 32 also have portions 36 at their web portionconnected ends adapted to be received in the notches Ztl and engage thewall portion 16 when the door 22 is in the closed position, as isclearly illustrated in FIGURE 5. The support element 26 is formed ofspring strip material and it will be noted that in the door closedposition of FlGURE 5 the legs 32 diverge from each other as shown. Agasket 38 is mounted on the wall portion lo around the opening 18 andcooperates with the door 22 in this closed position to provide a sealbetween the door 22; and the wall portion 16.

An operator by grasping the handle flanges 24 may pull the door 22outwardly so that both of the notches 34 lit over the edge of the wallportion 16 to hold the door in the position illustrated in FIGURE 6.FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate inclined positions in which the door may bemounted for directing the air upwardly and downwardly if desired.` Itwill be appreciated that if desired the hole T18 and door 22 may besquare or have any other desired number of sides of equal length and thedoor may be inclined to direct air laterally toward any one of thesides.

While the improved means of the present invention for controlling thellow of air or the like have been illustrated and described herein asembodied in an air heater apparatus for automotive vehicles it will bereadily appreciated that the improvements thereof may readily beemployed Wherever the llow control provided thereby is desired.

What is claimed is:

l. Means for controlling the liow of air comprising a wall having anopening therein which is symmetrical about an axis in the plane thereof,a door adapted to close said opening and having a pair of spaced legssecured to and extending laterally therefrom at one side thereof andcarried solely by said door, each of said legs having a free outer end,and cooperating means on said door and on said wall for selectivelysupporting said door on said wall in a rst position in which said doorcloses said opening, in a second position in which said door is disposedin spaced parallel relation to said opening, in a third position inwhich said door is inclined relative to said opening, and in a fourthposition in which said door is oppositely inclined relative to saidopening, said co-operating means including a notch portion on each ofsaid legs, both of which are adapted to engage said Wall in said secondposition and one of which engages said wall in said third and fourthpositions.

2. Means for controlling the flow of air comprising a wall having anopening therein which is symmetrical about an axis in the plane thereof,a door adapted to close said opening and having a pair of spaced legssecured to and extending laterally therefrom at one side thereof andcarried solely by said door, each of said legs having a free outer end,each of said legs having lirst and second portions one of which isadjacent said free outer end and which portions are adapted toselectively engage said wall at the periphery of said opening forcooperation with said Wall in supporting said door thereon, said firstportions when both engaged with said wall supporting said door in aposition to close said opening, said second portions when both engagedwith said wall supporting said door in spaced parallel relation to saidopening, said. iirst portion of one of said legs and said second portionof the other of said legs when both engaged with said wall supportingsaid door in an inclined position relative to said opening, and saidsecond portion of said one of said legs and said lirst portion of saidother of said legs when both engaged with said wall supporting said doorin an oppositely sloped inclined position relative to said opening, eachof said second portions having a notch adapted to receivea portion ofsaid Wall at the periphery of said opening. l 3. Means for controllingthe iioW of air comprising a Wall having an opening therein which issymmetrical about an aXis in the plane thereof, a door adapted to closesaid opening and having a pair of spaced legs extending laterallytherefrom at one side thereof, and co-operating means on said door andon said Wall for selectively supporting said door on said Wall in atirst position in which said door closes said opening, in a secondposition in which said door is disposed in spaced parallel relation tosaid opening, in a third position in Which said door is inclinedrelative to said opening, and in a fourth position in Which said door isoppositely inclined relative to said opening, said means for controllingthe flow of air or the like including a generally U-shaped clip securedto one side of said door and said legs being integrally formed portionsof said clip, said co-operating means including a notch portion on eachof said legs, both of which are adapted to engage said Wall in saidsecond position and one of which engages said Wall in said third andfourth positions.

4. Means for controlling the ilow of air comprising Va Wall having anopening therein which is symmetrical about an axis in the plane thereof,a door adapted to close said opening and having a pair of spaced legsextending laterally therefrom at one side thereof, and co-operatingmeans on said door and on said Wall for selectively supporting said dooron said Wall in a first position in which said door closes said opening,in a second position in which said door is disposed in spaced parallelrelation to said opening, in a third position in which said door isinclined relative to said opening, and in a fourth position in whichsaid door is oppositely inclined relative to said opening, said openingincluding opposed notched portions adapted to receive said legs thereinand locate said door relative to said opening.

5. Means for controlling the oW or air comprising a wall having anopening therein which is symmetrical about an axis in the plane thereof,a door adapted to close said opening and having a pair of spaced legsextending laterally therefrom at one side thereof, and co-operatingmeans on said door and on said Wall for selectively snpporting said dooron said Wall in a first position in which said door closes said opolng,in a second position in which said door is disposed in spaced parallelrelation to said opening, in a third position in which said door isinclined relative to said opening, and in a fourth position in whichsaid door is oppositely inclined relative to said opening, said meansfor controlling the iiow of air or the like including Flange portions onopposite edges or" said door adapted to serve as handle portions andextending at an angle relative to said door such that when said door isin said inclined position one of said ilanges extends along said wall atone side of said opening in substantially parallel relation thereto andwhen said door is in said oppositely sloped inclined position, the otherof said flanges extends along said Wall at the opposite side of saidopening in substantially parallel relation thereto.

Ele-.lei-ences Cited hy the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,450,8194/23 Sammes.

1,654,715 l/28 Alieck.

2,337,632 12/43 Winsor 98-8 2,983,535 5/61 Henning ----r 98--114 ROBERTA. OLEARY, Prizmzry Examiner.

MEYER PERLIN, Examiner.

1. MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF AIR COMPRISING A WALL HAVING ANOPENING THEREIN WHICH IS SYMMETRICAL ABOUT AN AXIS IN THE PLANE THEREOF,A DOOR ADAPTED TO CLOSE SAID OPENING AND HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED LEGSSECURED TO AND EXTENDING LATERALLY THEREFROM AT ONE SIDE THEREOF ANDCARRIED SOLELY BY SAID DOOR, EACH OF SAID LEGS HAVING A FREE OUTER END,AND COOPERATING MEANS ON SAID DOOR AND ON SAID WALL FOR SELECTIVELYSUPPORTING SAID DOOR ON SAID WALL IN A FIRST POSITION IN WHICH SAID DOORCLOSES SAID OPENING, IN A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH SAID DOOR IS DISPOSEDIN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION TO SAID OPENING, IN A THIRD POSITION INWHICH SAID DOOR IS INCLINED RELATIVE TO SAID OPENING,